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Machu Picchu: A One-Day Visit

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Note: Peru charges an airfare tax of $28.28 US for international flights and $5.04 US for domestic flights.

A short trip to Machu Picchu is easiest to manage from Cuzco, which can be easily reached with a flight from Lima, Peru's capital city. From Cuzco, there is a train trip of about four hours to Aguas Calientes, the town in the valley below Machu Picchu, with a twenty-minute bus ride up to the citadel from the town. (Aguas Calientes is officially called Machu Picchu Pueblo.) Tickets to Machu Picchu can be bought directly in Cuzco, either from a downtown travel agency or from the train station.

There are three options for the train, the speed, crowd, and service improving with increased cost:

Backpacker
$60 US round-trip; $42 US one-way

Vistadome
$89 US round-trip; $60 US one-way

Hiram Bingham
$417 US round-trip only, but includes 2 meals, cocktails, and a guided tour at the ruins

The following trip plan is based on the most expensive options.

COSTS
Round trip train ticket: $417 US
(2 meals and a tour guide in Machu Picchu included)
Bus fare round trip: $13 US
Entrance fee to Machu Picchu: $25 US
APPROXIMATE TOTAL: $455 US

SCHEDULE
6:00 a.m. – Get on train
9:20 a.m. – Get off train in Aguas Calientes
9:30 a.m. – Get on bus to Machu Picchu
(Bus rides leave the station every ten minutes.)
10:00 a.m. – Find your tour guide.
2:30 p.m. – Return by bus to Aguas Calientes
3:00 p.m. – Return by train to Cuzco

Next Page: Machu Picchu: A Two-Day Visit - Aguas Calientes

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